


A Favour House Atlantic

by Kelly_Namikaze



Series: Adam's Song [10]
Category: Batman - Fandom, Under the Red Hood
Genre: Adorable Cuddles, Aftermath of Suicide Attempt, Gen, Guilt, Healing, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Jason Todd Has Low Self-Esteem, Lullabies, Self-Harm, Soup, Tea, The Batfam Needs To Get Their Shit Together, Yeah I’m Using The New 52 Outlaws Fight Me, akwardness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-02-11 05:58:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12928983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelly_Namikaze/pseuds/Kelly_Namikaze
Summary: When Jason finally wakes up after the events of Negative Space, he struggles to work through living life.Including his family, who suddenly want him to stay.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Look at this! I’ve managed to stay with a series this long! Maybe this time I’ll actually finish it! Anyways, here is the first chapter of what I hope is many more!

It was dark, and Jason immediately started to panic. It was never completely dark when he woke up, he always made sure there was some sort of light, especially after-

He should be _dead_.

He recalled now, the fight draining out of him. He didn’t want to be alive, so what does the universe go and do? Make sure he survives through what should’ve been the end of him. However, with the way that he woke up the first time, this realization made him lift his arms, just slightly, trying to figure out if he was in a coffin, and realizing two things.

One, there was a sheet covering him.

And two, his arms _really_ fucking hurt.

The second one wasn’t much of a surprise, it was the first that baffled him. A sheet meant some kind of bed, and since he was in Gotham, he was either at the manor, or at Leslie’s. With the lack of any light, his bets were on the manor.

_Of course._

He sighed, trying to figure out how long it would take to get out, and if he could leave without drawing attention to himself. His eyes drifted shut as he thought, and he promised himself he would leave as soon as he woke up.

——

The next time he woke up, it was because a sharp pain on his arms brought him to consciousness, the painkillers having apparently worn off. He groaned, and opened his eyes to see one of the few people in his life that could convince him to do something he didn’t want to.

Alfie.

Before he could let his vulnerability show, he slid an easygoing grin on his face and said the most assholeish thing that came to mind.

In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea.

“Hey Alfie, why don’t cha let up? Wouldn’t want me to _die_ , eh?” The butler was frozen, and Jason, being the idiot that he was, let his mouth run. “So, how ya been, Alf? It’s nice to see a friendly face, after all, I’m pretty sure that if you're here Mr. Justice isn’t far behind, and I’m really not looking to get lecture-“

The sound of a slap echoed through the cave.

“Master Jason, do you really think that after _everything_ that has happened-“ Alfred drew in a shaky breath, trying to keep his composure. “That the fact that stain has been removed is his largest concern? You truly are your father’s son.” Jason was quickly drawn into a tight hug by the older man. “My boy,” He whispered into Jason’s ear. “You are always needed, always wanted. We will always miss you when you are gone. I am sorry that we never made that clear enough.”

Before Alfred could let go, Jason patched onto to him like a small child, ignoring the pain in his arms. “He’s gone, Alf. He’s finally _gone_.” He sobbed into Alfred’s chest, as the tears flowed down his cheek, soaking his grandfather’s suit.

The old man simply petted his head. “You’re safe now, my dear boy.”

——

When Alfred had woken him up, it had been during patrol. There was a large drug deal going down at the docks, so it was all hands on deck. Alfred thought it was best to wait until it was over, lest one of them end up being hurt by the distraction. However, Alfred had _not_ mentioned that Damian was home because he refused to leave the manor until Jason was awake.

He was face to face with Damian now, Alfred gone to grab some tea, a stern look keeping him from trying to leave. The youngest of the Robin’s stared at him, not touching though, as if he was afraid that if he did Jason would shatter like an illusion.

Jason smiled, as close to a real one he could grasp right now and spread his arms wide, inviting him for a hug. Suddenly, there was a ball of black and gray that sat on his lap, clinging to him for dear life. “Hey, kiddo.” Jason rasped. “Why aren’t you out there with the rest of the bats?”

“I refused to leave, if they were gone when you woke up, who would lecture you? Pennyworth would let you off far too easy, probably already has.” He told him, face still buried into the elder boy's chest.

Jason encircled Damian with his arms, dragging him up to eye level. “Yeah, I know, I love you too squirt.” The nickname drew an indignant squawk from the child, and he glared at Jason.

“I am not a _squirt_ , do you hear me! A squirt is a nickname for a child, and I am far from that.” A pause. “Todd, do you know something? I almost called mother.” Jason shook his head as Damian continued, as if he didn’t see it. “You know that she would have done it just to kill you again for doing something like this.” His tirade started off strong, but got quieter as he went on. “We, I cannot lose you again, you are the only one who knows. What it’s like to live like we have, you are the only one who I don’t have to pretend with at all. شقيق , we need you.”

The second Robin’s eyes watered as he brought Damian’s forehead to his. “Even if I was gone, I would never leave your side, mi hermano pequeño.” And now it was his turn to hold the young boy as he shook, tears disappearing into Jason’s loose tank top.

They stayed like that for awhile, long enough that the roar of the batmobile was audible further down the cave. Damian started to remove himself, but before he did, Jason kissed his forehead. Quickly he started back towards the cave entrance. “Todd, I demand that you have tea with me tomorrow, there is much to update you on.”

Jason smirked at the ten year old. “Sure thing, kiddo, I’ll see if Alfred will let me borrow the kitchen.”

Damian nodded before disappearing into the manor. The batmobile was almost at the pad now, and Jason was debating the pros and cons of pretending to be asleep, before saying screw it. He tried standing up, only to find himself unstable enough that he was using the bed as a crutch.

He could see Bruce and Dick exit the car, two bikes coming in behind them. He was just out of sight of them at this point, so he hung back, waiting to see who would notice him first. Soon enough, Steph, Tim and Cass were standing with Bruce and Dick at the computer, going over what presumably was a case.

After a few minutes, Cass tilted her head, turning to start making her way to the medbay, and Jason was suddenly seeing the merits of the pretending plan. Nobody noticed her leaving as usual, and when she crossed in front of a wall, he lost track of her. He grumbled, waiting for her to drop from the sky.

She didn’t disappoint, as only a few seconds later did she drop behind him, no doubt making sound on purpose as he whirled around to meet her. Her arms were crossed, and Jason didn’t need her cowl to be off to know that he was in deep shit. “Little brother.” She stated, and Jason refused to admit that he might have come close to flinching. Cassandra stepped towards him, and it took everything he had to not run off screaming, even if it alerted the other bats to his waking up. “You are foolish.”

The disappointment in her voice stung. He wouldn’t be apologetic for his actions, but she was his big sister, her opinion always mattered. “Cass, I-“

She hugged him, stopping whatever speech he was going to perform. “You are _important_ , little brother. Foolish that you think you are not.” She clarified, and Jason wasn’t sure how to feel about that. It was the third time in only a couple hours he had heard something like that, and he found it hard to believe. He was the screw up, nothing more than a dead symbol and a cautionary tale. How was he important?

Regardless of his feelings, he nodded. “Sure.”

Cass noticed his lack of belief in that statement, but knew that now was not the time to address it. “Go to sleep.” She told him when she let go, giving him a pointed look, and Jason relented easily.

Cass followed, sitting down at his bedside. When he was laying down, she started humming something Stephanie had shown her last month. He smiled, and before long, was off into the realm of dreams.

It wasn’t as bad this time.


	2. Over My Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Babybird, Tea, and Dickhead, followed by cuddles. What more is there to ask for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter was pretty much all done within the nine hours since I've gotten home from my grandparents, including procrastination, so I hope it lives up to expectations! Also, it gets really fluffy throughout the chapter, but never fear, the next chapter should be equally heatbreaking. Make sure to leave a comment or two! i love hearing what you guys have to say.

The next time Jason woke up, he was in a bed. Not a medbay bed, but an honest to god Wayne manor _suffocatingly_ fluffy bed.

For a second, Jason panicked, before a soothing hand was laid on his arm. He stilled, glancing up to see that it was not Dick or Bruce, like he expected, it was Tim.  


Tim, who is always scared of being abandoned.  


Tim, the one to _try_.  


Jason looked up at him, trying to gauge how the younger was feeling, only to hit a brick wall of impassiveness. Jason took a deep breath, trying to think of something to say.  


“You know, I thought that movie nights and video games, our late night chili dog runs, our working on cases together, showed that I trusted you. That I saw you as a brother. As someone that knew he was loved, and could come to me with anything.” As Tim spoke, his eyes seemed to grow angry and he stood, crossing his arms at the man laying down. “I thought that you’d be able to tell me that you were feeling like this. You never should have gotten to the point where death was the only option in your eyes!” He was yelling now, and Jason flinched ever so slightly.  


Tim looked away from Jason, and he hated the fact that he knew that Tim was trying to hide tears. “You told me. You told me that you were so grateful that I tried. So why do this to yourself? Why would you try to-try to,” Tim struggled and Jason knew that there was only one way to clear the air.  


The truth.  


“Tim, I honestly don’t know what you want me to say here. I’m not going to apologize, because I made my decision and I won’t be yelled at for my emotions. I will, however, apologize that it hurt you when I chose that.” He told the younger one, watching as Tim deflated at this.  


“I just, why? We were here for you, all of us. I’m not saying that you should go have a heart to heart with Bruce or Dick, but if you just needed something to get your mind off things, you could’ve come to us. We, _I_ could’ve helped.” Tim said, curling into himself even as he stood.  


Jason sat up, even as Tim tried to stop him. “Quit fussing babybird. It’s not like I have any other damage than on my arm-” That drew a wince from Tim, which he ignored, “And I’ve recovered enough from the blood loss that I’m not going to faint if I sit up.” He told Tim, pretending that he wasn’t slightly woozy regardless of what he said. He grabbed Tim with the less damaged of the two arms, yanking him down onto the mattress, so that they sat at about the same height.  


Jason grabbed the sides of Tim’s face, and made it so that they were looking each other in the eyes. “Look Timmy, I know you want to think that it was all chummy between me and the rest of the bats, but that’s not the case, hasn’t been that way pretty much ever. Sure, you, and Steph, Cass, even Dami, have been great, amazing even. But I know that even though you guys want me back into the circle, you forget that a certain someone has to sign on to that, and he wouldn’t. I didn’t want to hurt you with my issues again, that already happened once. I know it sounds stupid, but when everything is like it was that night, nothing seems good, and you just wanna sleep forever. Sometimes, nothing helps, and you just have to try and bear the storm. Obviously, I can add that to my list of failures in my life.” He joke at the end, his laugh sounding bitter.  


Tim shook his head, leaning in to bury his head in Jason’s neck. “You’re not a failure, not now, not ever. B would be happy to have you back.” He said, his voice warbling as he started to let the tears seep out slowly, refusing to all out sob.  


Jason didn’t respond, and Tim let it slide as he let out his worry and fear as Jason rubbed his back, drifting off to sleep at one point.  


\----  


An hour or two after Jason woke up to Tim at his bedside, he was reading through his favourite Shakespeare work, Antony and Cleopatra. He was nearing the end of act two, when a knocking sounded at the door. Jason debated the merits of just leaving whoever was out there without an answer, when a voice came through.  


“Todd, I am aware that you are awake, and as it is the next day, you are now coming to have tea with me in the kitchen. I have already spoken with Pennyworth, and he has allowed you to work in it as long as I supervise.” Damian spoke, and Jason huffed a small laugh.  


Carefully, Jason set Tim down onto the bed, only getting a small groan of protest. He tenderly swept Tim’s longish bangs back, seeing the large bags underneath his eyes.  


He stood up carefully, making sure not to disturb the boy as he fumbled his way to the door, pulling it open just as Damian raised his hand to knock again. “C’mon, squirt.” Jason told him, ruffling his hair and chuckled quietly when Damian swatted at the offending limb.  


They made their way towards the stairs, when about halfway down, Jason would’ve fallen had it not been for Damian grabbing his arm to steady him. Jason looked at the shorter of the two, and Damian said nothing, just continued down, while keeping a steadying grip on the elder’s upper arm.  


When they made it to the kitchen, Jason quickly went about making some tea and grabbing some toast and jam, setting it down in front of the younger. “Sorry that I didn’t have time to make anything fancy kiddo.” Jason told Damian, who quickly shook his head.  


“You are injured, and as such, should not be held to the same standards as normal. Evidently, you are still suffering from blood loss, as well as being in a coma for a week and a half.” Jason’s eyes widened at this bit of information.

“A week and a half? You’re shitting me.” He said, disbelievingly.

“Of course I am not. Do you know how hard it was to get Father to do anything other than mope in the cave and patrol?” Damian asked, as he put some blackberry jam on toast.  


“Uh, Dami, I don’t want to tell you you’re overreacting, but isn’t that normal for him?” Jason joked.  


Damian glared at Jason. “Todd, I don’t know what you think you know about how this attempt on your life has affected Father, but let me put this in a way that your recovering brain will understand. Father was _devastated_ , confused, hurt, and concerned. He has been spending all of his time in the cave, and has only emerged once because there was a board meeting that he had to attend.” When Jason snorted, Damian’s glare only hardened. “I mean it. Father cares deeply for you, even if he cannot communicate it properly.”  


“I don’t know why, I’m just the broken bird that fell.” Jason said, and Damian lost it, slamming his hands on the table.  


“ _I will not stand for that kind of self-slander_! You are not the black sheep, you are not a curse, you are not _broken_! I refuse to listen to you talk down about yourself in my presence. You are important, and you need to start believing it.” He ranted, and Jason nodded, pretending to agree, and Damian saw right through it. “Todd, I will not allow this to slide, as it will most likely lead to another event like this, and that is something I cannot allow. If you do not believe me about Father, believe that I care about you, and that if you attempt something like this again, and it will be an attempt at most, I will be hurt heavily.”  


Jason could agree to that without lying at least, so Damian calmed himself, knowing that it would take time for him to believe these words.  


Tea continued on quietly like that for an hour, them talking in low voices about mundane topics. School, the weather, things that were safe.  


When Damian left after helping clean up, Jason had a genuine smile on his face.  


\-----  


Jason wandered outside to the manor grounds after tea, not able to spend much more time in the stuffy mansion. He was sitting out on a bench when he noticed a plant that hadn’t been there since his last visit, which admittedly, had been quite a few years ago. It was the plant he had told Alfred about, and it seemed to have already been harvested, as new berries were already growing on the buds.  


As he marveled at the fact that Alfred had actually gotten the plant, considering his instructions were incredibly vague, a rustling of leaves sounded behind him, and he whirled around, startled. Dick walked out from one of the bushes, and Jason immediately straightened his back, trying to make himself more intimidating than he was.  


Dick frowned at this observation, but didn’t speak on it. “Hey, little wing, you feeling better?” He asked cautiously.  


“Yep, I’m feeling peachy. Screw off, Dickhead.” Jason told him, the sarcasm rolling off his tongue naturally.  


Dick placed his sunny grin on his face, continuing to walk forwards until they were standing only a foot or two apart. “Ah, but you see, I cannot do that! Not at least until I get a hug!”  


“Fine.” Jason agreed, wanting to get out of there as fast as possible. He stepped forward, and gave what will now and forever be known as the briefest hug ever. Before Dick could try and hug him back, Jason was already out of range and walking away as best he could currently.  


Dick let him go, sitting down on the previously occupied bench, and laying his head down in his hand. “That was so stupid. He just tried to commit suicide, and you want to pretend like everything's okay? Even Damian connects to Jason! The only person worse at it than me is Bruce!” He was yelling now, and he didn’t know how to make it better. “Just, auuggghhh!”  


\-----  


Jason had retreated back to his room, where Tim had since disappeared, someone else laying down almost exactly where he was. It took him less than a second to identify who it was thanks to the bright blonde hair that sprawled over the pillow.  


“Hey, Blondie.” Jason said, nudging her slightly.  


She groaned, rolling over. “Five more minutes.”  


After seeing Dick, Jason didn’t have the energy to laugh at her antics, only sighing heavily. “Okay, Steph, if I allow you, and I’m assuming Cass and Damian, probably Tim eventually, to make a large cuddle pile on my bed, will you roll over so I can _at least_ get comfy first?” He asked, and thee body laying on the bed suddenly shot up.  


“You catch on quicker than I thought. I told Alfred that he can bring dinner up here for the lot of us. Of course, he’s invited, but don’t worry, Dick and Bruce aren’t.” She rambled, moving over as he sat down heavily.  


“Yeah, you can tell the others that you have succeeded in their mission.” He grumbled, laying down and drawing the covers over him.  


She snapped her fingers, and three figures dropped from the ceiling, and it was testament to how tired he was after only a few hours of wakefulness that he didn’t even react to it. Damian was the first to get to the bed, climbing underneath the blankets and snuggling up halfway on his chest, Cass ending up on the opposite side than Steph, close to Damian, Tim also halfway on top of the older male, closer to Steph.  


By the time everyone had settled, the man at the bottom of the puppy pile was asleep, the comforting heat and warmth compelling him into the world of dreams.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only thing that I'm not a fan of in this chapter is how Dick was portrayed.I feel like he wants to reconcile, but doesn't know how, and it would result in something like that, but it feels off.


	3. Lullaby For A Stormy Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soup and rooftop reveals with a heavy amount of Hurt/Comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been on a roll with this story, and I kinda really love how this chapter turned out! So far, no Bruce, or Barbara yet, but I think that'll be next chapter, we'll see how I feel. This one features a lot of Steph, but I think that it's important to the stories progression/ Jay's healing. Enjoy and make sure you leave a comment letting me know what you think!

This time, Jason woke to the smell of something he hadn’t smelt in ages.

Alfred’s chicken noodle soup.

He tried to sit up, only to find his limbs and chest completely covered. Now, normally this would make him panic, but this weight wasn’t like the wet, cold mud that he struggled to dig through, half brain dead. No, it was comforting, warm, and he could feel the movement as somebody took a particularly deep breath.

He sighed contentedly, this was safe.

The distinct shutter of a camera was heard clearly through the peace. He groaned at the thought of another potential picture of blackmail in Alfred’s hands, deciding he had to wake the others, lest more be snapped. Jason started with the two birds that were currently laying on him.

“Kiddo, Babybird, time for food.” This got a shake of Tim’s head, and Damian hugging him slightly tighter. “We can continue cuddling later, don’t want all of Alfred’s hard work to make dinner and bring it up to go to waste, now do we?” They were slightly more awake now, and they sat up when Jason said this.

“Indeed, I do believe that it is time you had something more solid than something fed through a _tube._ ” Jason couldn’t see the older butlers face, but he could hear the disdain all the same.

Tim and Damian quickly took to waking up the two females of the group, and soon enough, they were all sat on the bed (minus Alfred who sat on a chair near the desk) eating Alfred’s special homemade soup that was only ever brought out if some serious shit went down.

There were jokes and laughter, and Jason reveled in it. He wanted it to be like this all the time, not having to worry about the big bad bat looming over his shoulder, waiting for him to fail. For him to be apart of something like this, like a _family_ , regardless if it was a very unconventional one. His thoughts started out hopeful, actually thinking of ways to make it happen, before the whispering of doubts crept in.

‘They don’t want you. You’re a burden. Such a failure. Why would they ever want anyone like you around? After all, all you do is cause more hurt. Remember when you shot Damian? I bet he still hates you for that. They’re just humoring you because they don’t want your death on their conscious.’ They murmured as Stephanie told a particularly raunchy joke, that had Tim blushing, Alfred raising an eyebrow, and Damian just looking confused, right along with Cass.

Quietly, he excused himself to go to the washroom, and they let him go, not thinking too heavily on it. Jason was so relieved that he didn’t see the way Stephanie’s eyes narrowed, her gaze following him out of the room.

He closed the door quietly, like any noise would cause the whole house to go on a witch hunt for him. When the door was closed, he examined the small window on the far wall that was about eye level. He poked and prodded at it, finding that though there were a million sensors keeping it from getting broken into, this one didn’t have anything to stop it getting broken out of.

He quickly got to work, prying the window open before pulling himself up and out. Jason found himself on the third floor, and quickly scaled the rest of the manors height to reach the roof, where he flopped on his back, his breathing slightly more heavy than before.

“Stupid, so fuckin stupid.” He told himself, drawing in to himself, curling into a ball. “How could you let down their guard like that?”

Jason was working himself up, now just a step away from hyperventilating. “They don’t want you, they’ve never wanted you. Oh Todders, so _naive_!” He let out a hysterical laugh at that. He could feel the panic as the phantom pain of the crowbar shattering his kneecap reminded him that though the clown was gone, he was never going to be the same.

The full out panic attack was growing, and he could barely see through the tears gathering in his eyes. So when a voice sounded from above him, he was very surprised. “Hey, mind if I take this seat?”

It was Steph, standing beside him, gesturing downwards, and Jason couldn’t respond if he wanted to, images of a fiery explosion dancing beneath his eyelids. She sat, seemingly not minding the fact that he wasn’t responding. When the blonde sat, she wrapped an arm around Jason, her fingers hardly brushing the other side of his shoulders, squeezing him lightly.

A minute or two later, Jason heard a melody accompanied by a voice floating through the air.

 

“Little child

Be not afraid

The wind makes creatures of our trees

And the branches to hands

They're not real, understand

And I am here tonight

 

And someday you'll know

That nature is so

This same rain that draws you near me

Falls on rivers and land

And forest and sand

Makes the beautiful world that you see

In the morning”

 

He buried his head into her side, remembering the last time someone had sung to him, and finding it had been back when he was a young child, before Willis had died, before Cathrine had become really out of it, before those damned _tires_.

Stephanie didn’t comment on the wet spot that was now growing on her shirt, just continuing on.

 

“For you know, once even I

Was a little child

And I was afraid

But a gentle someone always came

To dry all my tears

Trade sweet sleep the fears

And to give a kiss goodnight

 

Well, now I am grown

And these years have shown

Rain's a part of how life goes

But it's dark and it's late

So I'll hold you and wait

'til your frightened eyes do close

 

And I hope that you'll know

That nature is so

This same rain that draws you near me

Falls on rivers and land

And forests and sand

Makes the beautiful world that you see

In the morning”

 

She was rocking him gently now, rubbing soothing circles into his back.

 

“Everything's fine in the morning

The rain will be gone in the morning

But I'll still be here in the morning”

 

She continued to hum, even as he sobbed, the hurt to much to keep inside anymore. “That’s it Jay, let it all out.” The blonde told him, soothing a hurt he didn’t know he had.

They sat like that for awhile, and eventually, they were both on their backs, watching the stars. “Hey, Jay?” Stephanie asked.

“What’s up?” Was his response.

“When I was younger, I had a baby, but you knew that, right?” He hummed, and she took that as confirmation. “When I decided to give her up for adoption, I didn’t really care. I had only been pregnant for about three months or so, and I didn’t really have any connection other than physical to her.” She told him, her voice filling with the sadness of old wounds.

“It wasn’t until I had seen her for the first time that I second guessed my choice. It wasn’t until I had gone through hours of painful labor, and saw her face, her beautiful, perfect, face. She was my world, and she had only been alive for a few minutes. I slept with her in my arms, and the next morning she opened her eyes, and my breath was taken away. Her eyes swirled with the most intense shades of blue, that seemed to constantly shift.” The blonde was gesturing as she spoke, and Jason was listening intently, seeing how this was somehow more than some simple reminiscing.

“Those were the best few hours of my life, just being able to hold her, the outside world not even registering with me. Eventually though, the person I had spoken to earlier in the pregnancy about adoption came in, and my world shattered, as I realized that I couldn’t watch this beautiful baby to grow up into a stunning woman, not if I wanted her safe.” Her voice wavered at this point, and Jason reached an arm around her shoulders, letting her know that he was _there_. “I never forgave myself for my decision that day. I know, logically, that if I had kept her, that even if I had quit being a cape, that it would be far from perfect. I have student loans, and I’d be a teen mom with a minimum wage job in a tiny apartment, and I wanted something better for her.”

“I stayed through the whole process, making sure the family she went with had her set for life, along with people who would care about her, in my place. Once it was finally all over with, and I had said my final goodbye, I lost hope. There was no light, no darkness. Just a dull grey that covered life, because I had my light go. Everyday, I searched for some splash of colour, trying to get myself to move on, but it was fruitless.”

“Then one day on patrol, I was on the very top of Wayne Tower, looking down at the side of the building. I knew that it would be stupid, that I wouldn’t fix anything by dying, but I just wanted to see her again, even if it was only watching from the afterlife.” Stephanie paused, and Jason was in a slight shock, not knowing that this was another thing he had in common with the fourth Robin.

“It was that day, Cass had finally had enough of my moping, and had come and found me on patrol after avoiding her for so long. When she got there, I was standing on the ledge, tipping over just slightly. She yelled at me, actually yelled, when I was falling.” She shook her head, as if she still couldn’t believe it. “She ended up grabbing me as I fell and grappling us to safety.”

Jason had nothing to say to this giant reveal, so Steph continued. “So Jason, I can tell you for sure, that to a certain extent, I get where you’re coming from with this, I really do. But you dying isn’t going to reverse anything. Not your shitty childhood, not Bruce and Dick being assholes, not being _killed_. All it does is cause more problems. As somebody once said, ‘The only victims of death are those left behind.’ pretty profound, huh?”

The second boy wonder just laid there, not sure how to process this information. “How,” He started. “Do you keep the demons at bay? The little voices in your head that try to tear you down? How did you see colour again?” He asked, an undertone of tiredness in his voice like he was resigned to be like this forever.

“Well, you take it five, ten, twenty minutes at a time.” She answered. “Keep it simple, and don’t think to hard about what those demons are whispering. Trust me, it’s going to take time, and some days, you’ll need to have someone else pull you back. But, at the end of the day, it’ll never go away fully. You can only beat it down until the next time it rears its ugly head.”

He laughed at that, which the current Batgirl took as a win. “I appreciate the brutal honesty, but damn, I was expecting at least a little optimism.”

“What are you _talking_ about? That entire story was full of happiness and rainbows, you must be mistaken.” Stephanie said, with a poker-face of gold.

She held it for about two seconds before dissolving into giggles, Jason following quickly. The blonde liked it when Jason laughed without holding back. It chimed like bells, sounded better that when Dick laughed, and Jason’s face was so _open_. She vowed to get him to laugh more.

Eventually, she nudged his shoulder. “We should probably get back soon, before the others mount a search party for us." She joked, and Jason nodded, sobering up slightly as they slipped back in through the window to the room he’d been using.

When they returned, his soup was still sitting on the bedside table where he left it, albeit slightly cooler, and he grabbed it, resuming his position from before, feeling less disconnected.

Nobody commented on the abnormally long absence, nor him entering the window after ‘using the washroom’, although Damian looked like he was about to when Tim gave him a look, and he backed down. The rest of dinner was a quiet affair, with Steph and Jason finishing their food and basking in the company of the others.

He could get used to this, Jason thought to himself.

_Don’t count on it_ , his mind whispered, but he pushed it away, wanting to pretend everything was okay, at least until morning.

The rain makes the beautiful land that we see, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the depressing feels train, choo choo! I get the name ideas from songs that I have on my spotify, so if anyone wants to know what a song is, let me know in the comments and I'll put in a youtube link.


	4. Hurricane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason thinks, sees Bruce, and so much more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did this instead of studying for my exams, because I too, like to live dangerously. That and I felt bad for not posting for awhile, so I kicked myself in the ass and got it done, and I'm liking it! I hope you guys do too!

Night had fallen hours ago, and as such, when he woke up, there was a noticeable absence of warmth. Jason rolled out of bed, grabbing the glass of water on his bedside table, figuring that if he was going to be drugged, they’d have done it already. After downing the glass, he caught a whiff of his own stench, realizing that being asleep for a week and a half meant he stunk horribly, and was glad the others had enough tact not to mention it.

When he looked to the dresser, there was a set of clothing and a towel on it, making Jason shake his head. Trust Alfred to know when _anyone_ in the house needed something.

He took the hint, and made his way to the shower, making sure to not look too closely at his arms, ignoring the stinging pain when he cleaned them with soap. He stepped out, finally catching a look of himself in the mirror, and realizing something.

He looked like _shit._

Which yeah, he supposed, that sounds about right. It was almost his default look now, even in the weeks before the Joker’s death. He smiled a bit at the fact the clown was dead, even if it got him stuck in the manor. If he didn’t look in the mirror after his initial glance, nobody had to know.

He quickly dressed, heading back to his room for the moment. Honestly, Jason was just glad that he wasn’t in his old room. He didn’t know if that was something he could handle, seeing the ghost of who he was, who they expect him to be.

He sat down on the bed heavily, staring at the wall. For the first time since he woke up in the batcave, he was alone. Which meant he could think about everything that had happened.

The Joker.

He was gone. He wouldn’t hurt anyone he cared about every again. Graveyards wouldn’t be filling as quick, and those remaining wouldn’t have to live in fear. The Joker would just become a monster under the bed. He was satisfied with that, and honestly thought that everything else was worth that.

His, _attempt_.

Well, he knew that he would be affected by the demon finally dying, but never thought that it’d get to him that deep, and if he was  honest, it still was. He wasn’t going to try anything, not anytime soon, but he could see how he had affected his family without the rose colored glasses that everyone else in the family wore when it came to him.

He was a blight on the cute little dollhouse that was this place. His death may have impacted them yes, but that was when it was the little boy that still believed in good.

He was no longer that boy.

And now that he had come back, after all he had done, it was kinda hard to believe that any of them want him back. In fact, that night was a perfect time to get rid of him without any blood getting on anyone’s hands, and Jason was confused as to why they hadn’t taken it.

Everyone was acting as if nothing had happened, but he knew that they were doing this for their own piece of mind, not out of any actual concern. God forbid they stop being the _hero_ for a god damned second.

As he thought, green crept into his vision as he worked himself up more. Jason stood up suddenly, pulling at his hair, hard. He walked over to a blank spot in the wall, and just stared at it.

‘ _They don’t love you._ ’ Bang.

‘ _Why would they_?’ Bang.

‘ _You’re just a failure_.’ Bang.

‘ _Couldn’t save your mother._ ’ **Bang**.

‘ _Couldn’t save_ yourself.’ _**Bang**_.

Even though tears were streaming down his face, he couldn’t find it in himself to care as the young man continued to bash his head against the wall, not even registering the door opening until large arms were pulling him back.

Bruce had finally worked up the courage to talk to Jason, and was about to knock when he noticed a loud thud through the door, with sobbing being audible in between the noise. Bruce opened the door worriedly, and stopped.

Jason was a mess, muttering unintelligibly to himself, tears running down his face as he hit his head against the wall over and over, and Bruce was reminded of a week and a half ago.

For a moment, he _hurt._

Then he acted, walking behind Jason and gently pulling him away from the wall, unfurling the balled up hands gently, murmuring softly. “It’s okay Jay-lad, I’ve got you. You’re safe now.” Bruce gathered his son up into his arms, sitting on the bed and rocking Jason slightly.

As Jason started to calm down, his whispers became easier to decipher, and Bruce’s heart broke when he heard.

“ _I’m sorry **dad**_.”

Bruce buried his face into the boys dark curls to hide the tears welling up. “It’s not your fault.” The elder man whispered in a choked off voice. “It never was.”

~~~~~

Jason had fallen asleep, and Bruce had just tucked him back about an hour ago and was sitting on a chair beside the bed, when a knock sounded at the doorway, reminding him that he never closed it, only to his eldest son leaning on the doorframe.

“How’d it go?” Dick asked, stepping into the room.

Bruce sighed. “It didn’t.”

“That bad?” Bruce shook his head.

“No, it wasn’t that we fought, but when I came in, Jason was smashing his head against the wall. And when I got him calmed down, all he kept saying was ‘I’m sorry Bruce.’. How could he think that it’s his fault?” Bruce vented, and Dick shrugged.

“I don’t know.” Was the brutally honest reply. “You know that when it comes to Jason I’m as lost as you. But we’ve obviously been doing something wrong. We have to learn from our mistakes.”

Bruce’s shoulders sagged as if a thousand weight had been dropped on him suddenly. “My mistakes with him number in the hundreds, and now I don’t know how to talk to him, but _god_ , I want to.” The man’s face drops into his hands. “I just want to be able to talk to my son  without the tension getting so thick that nobody can breath.”

Dick patted his shoulder, no having a response to that. They just stood/sat there for a while, watching the rise and fall of Jason’s chest, just to remind them that he was there, alive. After some time, Dick walked back out, leaving Bruce there to wonder where everything had gone so wrong.

~~~~~~~~

Barbara sat at the counter in the kitchen, watching Alfred work. “So, how’s he doing?” She asked, knowing about his bouts of consciousness.

The butler sighed, his true age showing for a moment. “I’m afraid that he is still under the impression that we do not care. Miss Brown has informed me that he is suffering from panic attacks.” Alfred paused, and Barbara was frowning at the marble counter top. “And I do not know how Master Bruce speaking with Master Jason has gone, as I had wished to give them privacy. It has been a couple hours now, so I do not think that it would be out of line to go check in on them. If you would Miss Gordon? I’m afraid that there is still the matter of lunch to attend to, after all.”

The redhead nodded, going over to the wheelchair lift as Jason was on the second floor. On her way to the room, she wondered about what she would find. A room torn apart with Bruce in the middle, Jason having fled? Or the two of them talking calmly, getting one step closer to being family.

She knew the former was more likely, however she hoped for the latter. The door was open when she got there, and she glanced in warily to see Bruce holding Jason’s hand, his fingers resting on the pulse point, while Jason lay sleeping, his forehead bruised with a bandage over what she assumed was a cut.

“So, I’m going to assume that there wasn’t any huge fight here?” She asked, trying to lighten the extremely heavy atmosphere.

Her voice seemed to surprise him, and he shook his head slightly. “No.” An almost smirk came to his lips.

“Well, then you should probably go get some food, it’s not good for an old man like yourself to be sitting in the same place for this long.” She told him lightly, and she held her breath as he looked down at Jason once more.

“You’re probably right. I just don’t want to leave him on his own.” He said, and Barbara acted mock offended.

He placed her hand on her chest. “Wow, do I not count as a person? Are you that misogynistic? I can’t believe you!” She said, and then turned slightly more serious. “Come on Bruce, I know that you’ve barely been functioning since Jay was brought back, and it takes more than a day and a half to recover from that. Go, I’ll take care of him.”

Bruce looked reluctantly at the young man, but relented when Barbara gave him a Look ™ . He stood slowly, and Barbara winced when she heard the bones creak. He left slowly, giving one last look at the bed, before leaving, closing the door.

When the door clicked shut, she rolled up to Jason’s bedside table, seeing a book sitting on it. Curious, she picked it up, shocked to find that it was Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. She knew that he was into literature, but not that much. She wasn’t a large fan of Shakespeare, finding his work a bit heavy, even his comedies, but figured it was something to do, and cracked it open.

~~~~~~~~~~~

(In a land far, far away.(Nah, it’s still Gotham.))

Roy sat on the edge of Wayne Enterprises, dangling his legs off the side. “So, do you think he’s still here? He was supposed to be back on the island forever ago, and you know how Jay is with dates.”

The Tamaranean princess floated beside her fellow redhead, her eyes scanning the skyline. “This is his last known location, and as he did not show up when planned, we waited the agreed thirteen days before actively trying to look for him.” Her bright green eyes narrowed. “After some planning, we now have what we need to find him.”

“What if he doesn’t want to be found? Like the _All Caste_?” He muttered, and Kori petted his hair softly, her own hair sparking at the thought.

“We agreed that would not happen again. It is much more likely that he has been taken against his will.” Her hair was raging like an inferno now, and the air around her crackled, even as she petted Roy, careful not to burn him.

“And we will find him, even if we have to break into the batcave itself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I added Roy and Kori. If that makes you mad, don't be, this will be only a small portion of the story itself, but I couldn't help myself, I love those two being protective of Jay. Anyways, don't forget to let me know what you think, I always love reading reviews.


	5. Hit and Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arguments and agreements between the bats and the outlaws.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo, now that I'm done exams, I had enough time to write out this chapter, and i think I did pretty good. Since you guys were so pumped about the Outlaws, I decided that they may show up a bit more often.

An alarm was going off when he was awake next, and he was back in the batcave, on one of the beds in the medbay. He could hear Bruce barking orders at everyone who seemed to be in a flurry of movement getting their costumes on.

Alfred approached Jason when he realized that the young man was awake. “Master Jason, how are you feeling?” He asked, and Jason winced when he pulled himself up to sit as his head throbbed.

“My head feels like it just got run over, but that’s not important right now. What’s going on?” Jason questioned, and the old butler hmmed.

“I will grab some pain medication for you in a moment. As for what is going on, it seems that there is a pair of intruders attempting to enter the cave.” Was the response, Alfred only having the slightest bit of concern creasing his brow.

Jason tried to stand when he heard this, a headrush making him plop back down heavily. “Is anything known about them?” He murmured, holding his head in his hands.

“You need to sit still and let the rest of them handle it.” Alfred told him, already knowing what he was thinking. “Nothing is currently known, as they have some very advanced cloaking technology, except that it seems to be two assailants.” Alfred allowed himself a small smirk at the pout adorning Jason’s face.

“Are they in the manor?” Jason asked as Alfred turned away to grab the pain medication.

“No-” The old man was cut off as a large tremor seemed to rock the cave. Dust fell from the ceiling as a continuous banging noise sounded from the outdoor entrance to the cave, as if someone was trying to break down the doors, which Jason thought was stupid. Those doors were rock solid, if Bruce didn’t want them to get in, they wouldn’t get in.

He was proven wrong not a moment later as there was a large groan when the metal gave way, creating just enough of a gap that was kind of small, only two feet by three feet. There was a crash heard, and then nothing for a moment as the mysterious duo presumably made their way down the car ramp. Everybody in the cave stopped as they waited for the assailants to make the first move.

A sound that sounded suspiciously like the word “Fuck.” was heard from midair, right in the middle of everyone, making them jump.

But that one bit of sound was enough to target, and soon enough there was a barrage of bat-a-rangs and wingdings heading in that direction, creating a large string of curses from the air, giving them a clearer picture of where they were.

The duo was chased all over the cave, and the bats got more frantic as they realized that they were heading to the medbay where both Alfred and Jason were. Heat sensors weren’t working, and the voice wasn’t matching anything on the computers database. There was no ripple in the air or something other than the expletives that continued on.

And then there was silence. Batman growled. “Protect the medbay.” He ordered, knowing that saying protect Jason would cause a problem.

Everyone formed a circle, and waited with bated breath. Black Bat was confused when she felt a slight amount of wind by her left shoulder, whirling around on instinct when her hand found purchase on fabric. She quickly grabbed it and pulled, revealing who it was.

Roy Harper and Koriand’r were floating there, before they zipped to the bed where Jason was, and grabbed him. Roy waved, wearing a big dumb grin. “Bye Bye!”

And then they were gone.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jason was blinking the white out of his vision, only to have a blinding ray of sun cloud his vision. “The hell is going on?” He asked as he raised his hand to shield his eyes.

“I do not know Jason, why were you not at the island two weeks ago?” Kori asked, arms crossed over her chest, hair sparking slightly.

Jason looked at the ground, suddenly glad he raised his right arm instead of his left. “Something came up in Gotham suddenly.” He replied, much quieter than before.

Roy sat up beside Jason, a small frown on his face. “Yeah, we heard. But you still could’ve left a note or something.” He scolded, and Jason almost smiled at the sight.

“Sorry.” The youngest of the trio muttered, looking at the ground. “I guess I forgot.”

Roy and Kori glanced at each other over top of Jason’s head before moving in to give him a hug. “It’s alright, we just worry.” Roy told the younger,helping Kori get Jason up and over to the couch.

Jason just nodded, taking the time to glance around as he was brought to his feet, finding himself in their house on the island. They were in the living room, heading over to their large couch, a large comforter laying on the back, which Kori grabbed as she and Roy laid Jason down. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the dark haired male wince as he shifted. “Are you injured Jason?” She asked, and Jason shook his head quickly.

“‘Course not princess, I can take care of myself.” He replied, before being tackled by his other redheaded teammate. “Roy, what are you- OW!”

Roy simply gave him a look, before picking up his left arm. “See now, I think we’ve been together long enough for us to know when you’re lying Jaybird.” He tried to pull the arm closer to inspect it, when it was yanked back suddenly.

“It’s just a scratch, don’t worry.” Jason growled defensively, holding his arm closer instinctively.

Kori came to stand by the two men sitting on the couch. “If it’s just a scratch, then you won’t mind letting us have a look?” It sounded like a suggestion, but Jason knew that he wasn’t getting out of this one.

He looked at the ground, steeling himself for their reactions. They were really the only two people he considered friends, and he feared losing their respect. (The bats that he talked to were different, they were as close a family he had.) “Okay, but you have to promise not to be mad.” He almost whispered, and Roy rubbed Jason’s shoulder soothingly.

“We promise Jaybird, we just want to make sure you’re alright.”

Jason slowly held his left arm out to Kori, who slowly unwrapped the bandage sitting there. He cringed at the quiet gasp let out by Kori, and the light curse from Roy. “I’m sorry.”

An orange hand was grabbing his chin a moment later, forcing him to look up, even as he refused to meet her eyes. “Jason, look at me.” She pleaded, all of her royal grace gone as her heartbreak showed through. He hesitantly looked up to meet her eyes, and her eyes watered as she saw all of his hurt that he always tried to hide on full display.

“I am not mad at you. I know that something like what happened in Gotham would hurt you. But I wish you would have called one of us, or Timothy, or Cassandra. You are not alone.” She told him, and she couldn’t stop a few tears from sliding down her face, which seemed to make Jason panicked.

“Please don’t cry princess!” Jason spoke quickly, making all three of them laugh, and for a brief moment, it was a normal day on the island.

When they all had calmed down slightly, Roy grabbed his face, turning Jason towards him until their foreheads were touching. “Jaybird, I can never really be mad at you. You’re too adorable for that. I’m just sad that you didn’t trust us enough to let us know when you needed help. You promised after the All Caste that we’d stick together.”

Jason cringed at the mess that was the All Caste. “I’m sorry Roy.” He knew that he had abandonment issues, they all did.

“You don’t need to apologize, just promise me something.” His eyes bored into Jason, and his eyes started to water. “If this happens again, if you feel that you need to do, that, call someone. Me or Kori, Tim, Steph, someone. We can’t take losing you Jay, we wouldn’t be able to function.” Jason closed his eyes, willing himself not to cry as he had so much in the past couple days.

Kori decided that it was cuddle time, sitting beside the two males, and getting them to rearrange themselves. It ended up with Kori on one side of the couch, Jason resting with his head on her chest, and Roy with his head on Jason’s shoulder, sharing the comforter as Kori turned the tv on to some corny soap opera.

“Sleep Jason, we will talk more in the morning.” The Tamaranian princess told him, petting his hair softly.

~~~~~~~~~~

Roy was woken up by the sound of footsteps in the kitchen. He slowly looked around to find both Jason and Kori on the couch, making him go into high alert. The archer got up slowly, making sure not to disturb Jason as he made his way to the kitchen, grabbing his bow along the way. He waited as someone got closer to the kitchen door, before turning and facing the intruder with a raised bow, ready to shoot. He glared at the smirk of Red Robin who was drinking a cup of coffee.

“Morning.” He said, taking a large sip from a mug he had gotten Jason for his birthday last year. It just said ‘Wonder Woman for President 2020’ but still managed to be his favorite. Roy sighed, dropping his bow.

“Why are you here?” he asked, already considering the day a wash.

Red Robin’s Smirk only widened. “Well, let’s see, why did you kidnap Jason?” He asked, and Roy now saw how Jason could have hated him at one point.

“We set up a meeting fifteen days ago, he didn’t show, we waited the agreed thirteen before we tried to get him back. He was with you guys, so that’s where we went” Roy explained, and saw how the younger bird’s face fell.

“I suppose, but you’re going to have to talk to Batman if you wanna keep him. I’m really the only reason he hasn’t stormed in yet.” Tim admitted, and Roy’s irritation went down slightly.

The redhead sighed. “Okay, I’ll grab Kori, we’ll talk outside, since I assume that he’s outside.” He really didn’t want to talk to the bigman, especially with the topic being Jason. Reluctantly he left the kitchen throwing back one last piece of advice. “Make sure you put the cup in the dishwasher or Jason will hunt you down.” He warned.

When he heard an affirmative, he worked on getting Kori up. It wasn’t really all that hard, just a careful pat on the shoulder and she was up. “Her Kor, we gotta go talk to Bats. He isn’t to happy about our little visit yesterday.” The archer whispered, extremely aware of Jason sleeping soundly just a few inches away.

Kori pursed her lips before nodding and slowly detaching herself from Jason. He grumbled slightly, but didn’t really stir as they made their way outside.

The whole crew except for Barbara and Alfred. The redheaded male giggled slightly as he noticed how out of place they looked on the bright beach, until Kori tapped him on the head. “Focus, we have to be at our best.” She told him, and he shook his head.

“It’s not like this is going to turn into a brawl.” He said, only to reconsider when he saw the grim look on her face. “Right?”

“I do not know.” Was all she said, coming to stand about a meter away from the united front of bats, taking a small amount of joy from how she could look down on Batman. “What would you like to discuss?” She asked, all her royal diplomacy skills coming to the surface.

“You have stolen Jason.” Batman stated, looking up at the princess. “Why.” It wasn’t a question, just a demand, and Kori smirked at him, making him clench his fists.

“Jason was supposed to meet with us, and he did not. We had agreed that if anything happened, we would wait thirteen days before looking if none of us were injured before separating. We were simply making sure he was alright, as I believe that we can help Jason better than you _ever_ did.” Her smirk became more cruel as she saw how his face dropped, glad to finally be getting back at Bruce.

Nightwing stepped forward, as he could see how it was going to turn out. “Hey now, let’s all calm down. Kori, if you wanted to see Jay, all you had to do was knock on the front door.”

“Gotham is not a good place for him to be right now, _Richard_.” She spat his name like it was a curse, and he recoiled slightly at the venom. At that point Batman stepped back in to continue his argument, which got progressively more loud.

“He is my son and he needs to be home with his family, _not_ his team!”

“And I believe that you overestimate your bond with Jason. Tell me, in the past year, how much have you, or Richard actually spoken with Jason _without_ coming to blows? It can not be more than three, after all, he spends the majority of his time with us.” Kori’s hair was crackling heavily now, as their verbal sparring match continued.

Meanwhile, Roy had been scanning the faces of the others, and grabbed Kori, who had started to float as she argued with Batman and Nightwing. “Can we have a moment? We need to talk to the people Jaybird actually _likes_.” He stated, bringing her over to the four on the left, Cass, Steph, Tim, and Damian.

“Okay, I know that he’s not going to go until he has Jay at least back in Gotham, right?” He got a collective nod. “Glad we’re agreed on how controlling he is. Anyways, if that’s the case, him staying in the manor is a bad idea.” Another collective nod. “And we know that he doesn’t want him staying with us, probably not even in Gotham. So, I have an idea for you guys. Why don’t we have Jay stay with one of you guys?”

The four bats glanced at each other, Tim being the first to answer. “I mean, it’s not the worst idea you’ve ever had, but both Cass and Damian live at the manor, and Steph and I live on our own. Both places are a bit small.” Damian rolled his eyes.

“Drake, you are being an idiot. We all have access to the Wayne fortune, getting a large place of residence would not affect it.” He huffed, and Roy had to hold in the urge to ruffle his hair.

Stephanie tilted her head to the side, Cass whispering something into her ear. “Well, if you want to I won’t stop you, but B won’t be happy.” Batgirl straightens back up. “We could have it as Cass’s apartment, she’s been meaning to get one anyway, but make it big enough for all of us.”

Kori nods her head. “If it would be alright, we would like to stay for a couple days to make sure he is more stable. We would also be checking in quite often, and we wouldn’t wish to disturb you.” Cass shook her head lightly, and Steph translated as Black Bat hadn’t removed her cowl.

“She likes visitors a lot, especially if they are friends of family like you guys.” The blonde explained, and Kori beamed at both of the female vigilantes.

The princess was glad that Jason had others that were willing to care for him. “Thank you, you are doing us a great service.” The others simply shook their heads, well, except for Damian who harumphed at the lot of them.

Cass was the one sent to explain the plan to Bruce, as she was probably the most likely to succeed. They watched as Bruce’s facial expression shifted through anger, sadness, and an accepting grimace. Kori and Roy grinned at each other.

Mission complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I wasn't going to leave Jay on the island, no matter how much I wanted to. He needs to talk to Bruce and come to terms with his feelings, not hide from them. So he stays in Gotham, but in a place that's not as bad as the manor is on his psyche. The Outlaws mission was to make sure Jay was alright, and they have full confidence in the batkids (minus dick). They were mean to B because he's kinda one of the reasons Jay is so damaged, and while they aren't wrong, they will eventually see that they aren't exactly right. Don't forget to review, I love hearing from you guys! Have a great day.


	6. Black Honey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast, and maybe a bit more comfort for Jay, this time featuring he'stryingguys!Bruce.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Umm, Sorry? I can't believe that I just left this chapter alone for so long, I had this chapter almost done for the longest time, I just couldn't figure out how to end, which is partly why it's kinda short. Sorry again!

When the idea had been okayed with the big bat, Roy had gone in to wake up Jason, Kori happily chatting with the two girls on the beach.

The tamaranean princess gave a laugh when Jason could be heard cussing out Batman, the man in question grimacing slightly. He was cut off suddenly, and the other occupants on the beach looked curiously at the door to the dining room. Just a minute or two later, the duo emerged, Jason looking like a rumpled cat, and Roy grinning ear to ear.

Jason glanced at the large gathering, and sighed. “Roy, please tell me you and Kor went shopping.” He said, and the archer laughed, throwing and arm around Jason’s shoulders.

“Course we did, you’d kill the both of us if the fridge wasn’t stocked! Why, up for some grub?” He asked, giggling when there was a distinct sound of a stomach growling coming from Steph’s area.

When the eyes shifted to her she blushed. “Hey, it’s not my fault that his cooking is really good!” Was her defence, Tim and Kori laughing at her.

Jason simply shook his head. “I guess that means I’m doing breakfast.” He sighs and turns around, going back into the house, tensing slightly. He wasn’t particularly happy with bats showing up on his doorstep, but oddly, he didn’t feel as angry as his brain was saying he should.

He thought back to yesterday, and how Bruce had calmed him down, told him that it wasn’t his fault, and the anger he wanted to have just wouldn’t come. He shook his head as Jason pulled two cartons of eggs out of the fridge. It didn’t change anything, Bruce would still bring him to Arkham as soon as he wasn’t likely to jump off a bridge.

(But maybe he could enjoy the temporary peace while it lasted.)

When the others came in Jason immediately made Tim, Bruce, and Dick sit down beside Kori and Roy as he didn’t trust any of them in the kitchen. “Cass, can you cut some peppers? Steph you can grate the cheese.” He told them, grabbing some bacon from the fridge and laying it out on a rack in a pan, sprinkling some brown sugar on the top as he popped it in the oven.

Nobody really talked as the food was cooked, mostly because they weren’t used to having Bruce and Jason in the same room without coming to blows, so they were leaving it alone.

When the bacon and eggs were ready, Roy went to set the table after doing a quick headcount. “Jay, do we even own this many plates?” He asked, rummaging through the cabinets.

“No, but there are some paper plates in the drawer by the sink, remember?” Jason told his teammate, starting to put the food on the kitchen island. “I have never been more glad that I convinced you two that we needed a large kitchen.” Jason commented as he saw the eight others sitting only kinda too close.

Stephanie giggled. “I bet your reasoning didn’t involve anything like this happening, eh? Perhaps something a bit more… R rated?” Tim groaned, and Dick got this look on his face like he just ate a lemon.

Damian tilted his head. “Why would he anticipate fighting in the kitchen?” The youngest of them asked, and Dick was now facepalming.

“Well you see, when two people-” Stephanie started to explain when Jason clamped his hand down on her face.

“Alright, that’s enough of that! Time to eat.” He said, his face about the shade of Kori’s hair.

Mealtime didn’t hold much speaking, everyone just enjoying the food Jason had created, some not having had it in years, (Bruce and Dick) and some just bottomless pits.

(Damian had been apprehensive when he saw the bacon, however relaxed when Jason grabbed a small fruit salad and poured it on his plate next to the eggs.

“Sorry kiddo, don’t have much on hand.” The older male apologized, but Damian shook his head.

“It is fine Todd, you did not do the shopping.” He said, and Jason ruffled his hair.)

When food was done, Tim gathered up the dishes. “Jay? Where is your garbage?” He asked, and Jason motioned to underneath the sink.

“So, why did all of you need to show up?” Jason questioned. “Like, three, max. Unless you thought a fight would break out…” He trailed off, seeing the serious look on the three eldest of the bats. “Oh come on, really? They’re my team! What are they gonna do, murder me in my sleep?!” He threw his hands up into the air. “This is why I have white hair!” He walked out of the room then, not leaving any time for a response.

The silence lingered for a moment, before Steph whistled lowly. “That went well.” Her gaze turned serious, looking at Bruce, and a shiver ran down the man’s back. “Just remember, living. Hell.” She threatened, before grabbing everyone other than Bruce, and ushering them back out onto the beach. Before she closed the door to the kitchen, she gave him a thumbs up.

And Bruce was sitting alone in the room.

~~~~

He had no clue how to go about talking to Jason. Truth is, he was hoping to postpone it at least a few more days. 

Bruce sighed, feeling his age heavily. He thought back to a time that seemed like so long ago, but in reality was only a handful of years back. Of a young boy curled up reading, of watching him cook, and help Alfred, following the old man around like a duckling.

Then he thought back to when Jason had first reappeared as the Red Hood, and how he was doing wrong things, but not necessarily bad things. He had cleaned up the city considerably, and there was a lot of street kids who had good things to say, as well as the prostitutes as they fell under Jason’s banner of people to be protected.

And then there was how he was once he had started to come back to the family, and how guarded he was, never allowing Bruce or Dick to close. How he never came to any family events, but that wasn’t quite right, was it? No, Bruce had never told Jason that he was invited, and the boy wasn’t coming unless he was.

Bruce tried to reconcile the three versions of Jason he knew, but couldn’t. He wasn’t paying attention to much, knowing that Jason was just as paranoid as him, so when something slammed down on the counter, he startled violently.

“What the-” He started, but was cut off.

“It’s just me old man, now drink.” Jason told him, standing on the other side of the island gesturing to the cup of coffee on the table. When Bruce picked the cup up, Jason turned around and got himself a glass of water.

He sat down across from Bruce, and stared at the table as he sipped his water. Bruce knew he had to say something, anything. “Jason- I.” He started, and Jason’s eyes flew upwards to meet his father’s. “Jason, I am sorry. I am sorry that I let the mission get in the way of this family. That I let it get in the way of seeing your side of things.” His voice started to waver, but Jason wasn’t going to call him on it. “Just, when I saw you in that bathtub, it was like I was in Ethiopia all over again, and I hadn’t gotten there in time.” Bruce looked at his hands, seeing how they had started to shake.

“And I know I wasn’t a good father, but losing you twice, before I could tell you that I’m so proud of you, that I love you, it hurt so much. And I vowed that I’d do anything to make it right, anything.” The older man looked up at his son, seeing tears in his eyes. “So please, Jaylad, is there anything I can do?”

Jason closed his eyes for a moment, placing his glass on the table. “Goddamnit, B, you can’t just drop something like that on a person.” He said, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. “I, can’t forgive you, yet. It’ll take some time, and I won’t make it easy. But I guess we can give this a try, dad.” He said, and he heard some noise before he was enveloped by Bruce’s hug.

Jason turned towards Bruce, lifting his arms to reciprocate the hug, and Bruce was struck just how much his son had grown over the years he had been gone. Sure, there have been times that he had been in close contact with him, but it was almost always in an emergency, normally Jason being heavily injured.

Now though, he couldn’t help but notice how the awkward teenager he remembered was now a fully grown adult who was almost the same height as him and just as large, as Jason’s arms wrapped around him. Bruce buried his head into Jason’s hair, and breathed easier than he had in years.

~~~~~~~

Jason and Bruce left the house once they collected themselves, to find most everyone settled into conversation, with only Dick sitting on the outskirts, obviously out of place without an idea of how to react. Jason walked over to the lot of them, ruffling both Tim and Damian’s hair as he sat with them.

“So, when are we heading back to Gotham? Probably should be before the princess here burns his face, that’ll be awkward to explain.” Jason grins while nudging Tim in the side. 

Kori grinned. “I suppose you would like to leave before your freckles start to show as well, which is such a shame. They are adorable.” Jason blushed heavily and the group laughed.

They teased each, other back and forth for sometime, before Bruce walked up to them. “Alright, we should get going. We need to be back for patrol tonight. Black Bat, Robin, you get the night off.”

Kori smiled at Jason, whispering something in his ear that made him blush before she picked up Roy and shot off in the sky. He grumbled before following the others onto the batplane. As the doors closed, something clicked for the young man, and he relaxed slightly.

They’d be okay.

Probably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo, I just realized that that probably at the end sounded kinda ominous, but I like it, so it's staying there. It might make me think of something to add to the story, like a b-plot or something. Anyways, please leave a review, and have a wonderful day!


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